Removing old paint is the activity most commonly associated with lead exposure in post-industrial countries. The OSHA Lead Standard requires medical surveillance of all workers exposed to lead dust or fume >30 ug/m3 for over 30 days per year. Workers with blood lead levels >40ug/dl must have medical exams. The earliest symptoms of lead poisoning are usually mood change, difficulty concentrating, and sleep disturbance. Lead is one of the few occupational poisons that enter the body to a significant extent by the oral route. [LaDou, p. 471-4]

Latency/Incubation

Weeks

Diagnostic

Blood lead; X-ray fluorescence is a non-invasive technique available in research settings; it measures cumulative lead dose in bone; [Olson, p. 257]

Disease/Syndrome

Category

Acute/Chronic

Synonyms

Biomedical References

Comments

Removing old paint is the activity most commonly associated with lead exposure in post-industrial countries. The OSHA Lead Standard requires medical surveillance of all workers exposed to lead dust or fume >30 ug/m3 for over 30 days per year. Workers with blood lead levels >40ug/dl must have medical exams. The earliest symptoms of lead poisoning are usually mood change, difficulty concentrating, and sleep disturbance. Lead is one of the few occupational poisons that enter the body to a significant extent by the oral route. [LaDou, p. 471-4]

Latency/Incubation

Weeks

Diagnostic

Blood lead; X-ray fluorescence is a non-invasive technique available in research settings; it measures cumulative lead dose in bone; [Olson, p. 257]